Method of producing metal grilles



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Nov. 8, 1938. w. B. PIERCE 2,135,766

METHOD OF PRODUCING-METAL GRILLES Filed Feb. 7, 1955 Q: I I

71:92. 1 M FIT T Patented Nov. s, 1933 2,l35,7tt

UNITED STA'HEfi PATENT @FFEE 2,135,766 METHOD OF PRODUCING METAL GRKLLES William B. Pierce, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania,

Application February '7, 1935, Serial No. 5,345 3 Claims. (01. 29-160) This invention relates to metal working and contoured transverse members. It is simple to forming and to articles produced thereby. It rereinforce any member, either longitudinal or lates particularly to the production of an imtransverse, for greater utility and/or beauty with proved metal grille. an extra thickness of metal by making proper Metal grille heretofore has fallen into three allowance in the extrusion aperture. It is usu- 5 general classes: cast or wrought, usually of iron; ally desirable and most practical to produce this assembled, usually of woven rods or strips across grille in sections with means formed integral with the face of a shell or frame; and pierced sheet the longitudinal edges of a section for joining secmetal. The use of cast iron grille is largely limtions tog r i a neat a Strong manner. as

ited by its weight and expense. Assembled grille will be described hereinafter. 10 is usually restricted in use by the multiplicity of I will describe my invention in connection with parts and cost. Pierced and otherwise formed two prefe yp Of grilles a S own in the sheet metal grille has found wide application drawin w owing' to its inexpensive nature, light weight and Fig. 1 depicts a metal billet;

.5 general adaptability. There are, however, re- Fig. 2 shows, in plan view, the imperforate l5 stricting factors which also limit the use of this p oduct f the firs p of y method; material. The sheet stock being of uniform Fig. 3 s a t a e e d View Of thickness makes reinforcing of particular parts F 4 is a pla V w S w a finished grille difiicult or impossible. It is customary to make 0 OW ng e Se S p Of my method in interthe entire unit from a single sheet, as no simple locked relationship with a similar section; 20 and effective method of joining the thin sheet sec- Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View along the tions has been perfected. It is, of course, imline VV of Fig. 4; possible to form a sheet grille comprising some Fig. 6 shows, in pl n View, another form of members of greaterthickness than the sheet from grille; and

which it is formed, and in some cases it is difli- Fig. '7 is a sectional View along the line VII-VII 25 cult to simulate solidity by forming the sheet, of Fig.6.

and this has restricted the possible field of design Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows an exto an appreciable extent. trusion billet of a suitable metal but preferably The object of my invention is to overcome these aluminum or alloys thereof. By using the process difficulties and to provide an improved metal of extrusion as a first step it is possible to start 30 grille possessing, in combination, the desirable with substantially a crude cast or formed billet, properties and characteristics of known types of thus eliminating any initial working of the metal grilles and possessing other new and desirable to sheet form. features. A further object is to produce a grille The billet, which in this case, by way of preof variable metal section to allow reinforcement ferred example, is aluminum, is preferably pre- 35 of certain portions. Another object is to produce heated and extruded in known manner from a grille sections provided with integral means for die to produce an imperforate extruded form such neatly and rigidly joining adjacent sections. as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The parallel longi- Still another object is to provide a simple and tudinal blades 8 are produced in finished form 4.0 inexpensive method of producing my improved after the shape of the die aperture and project metal grille. above the connecting web portion 9. The ex-' I have found that metal grille consisting essentruded plate y be cut t Suitable lengths if detially of longitudinal and transverse members may s ed. be efficiently produced by a combination of metal Apertures IS in the connecting web portion 9 4.5" working steps comprising extrusion followed by are now blanked out to provide air passages and blanking. By the terms longitudinal and to form spaced transverse members it of predetransverse or lateral used herein and in the termined design. This operation may be perappended claims I have reference to the direction formed by blanking dies, or portions of the web in which the metal flows from the extrusion die, may be removed by machining. It is obvious of) the term longitudinal meaning parallel with that other means may be used in carrying out the the direction of flow. I have found this process blanking operation. The completed grille proparticularly adaptable to the production of metal duced in two simple steps from billet is shown in grille because it is possible to produce with the Fig. l, sections I2 and I3. greatest fidelity variously shaped longitudinal The design shown in Fig. is useful as grille .members connected with subsequent variously for ventilating openings, especially large and 55 substantially dent-proof from small accidental impacts and at the same time to form the bifurcated base portions I5, giving a light and strong construction.

Another embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This formis particularly adapted to decorative grille requiring a projected curved surface such as is desired in some types of automobile fronts. The blades l6 are slimmer than blades 8 with a bifurcated base portion shown in Fig. 4 and are made solid. The apertures may be of any other appropriate-design, if desired. The curved end pieces 26 and 2| maybe included as a means of holding the grille in position, or as a purely decorative part.

It is customary, owing to the greater expense of extruding sections of relatively great width, to

produce relatively narrow longitudinal grille sections with means extruded .integral with the section along the longitudinal edges for joining adjacent sections in assembled panels. forms of undercut locking portions of joining means are susceptible to formation during the extrusion step. In Figs..2 and 3. the undercut groove I1 and the corresponding tongue I 8 are an example of a means of effecting the dovetail joint which is substantially invisible when viewed from one side. Such a joint between adjacent sections I2. and I3 is illustrated at IQ of Figs. 4 and 5. It is not necessary that the locking means be shaped to lock as fitted together, but such means may consist of formed recesses which are locked by a subsequent rolling or pressing of. the assembled joint. In this manner an extruded section may form a part of assemblies consisting of extruded and otherwise formed sections. It will be understood that many types of joiningor locking means are possiblein the extruded form, and while it is possible to build up a sectional grille of practically any size, it is, if desired, practical in many cases to produce the grille as a unit.

In the two preferred forms of grille which have been described and shown in the drawing the connecting web 9 between the longitudinal blades 8 or I 3 is positioned at the base of the blades.

This construction is usual in cases where the grille will ordinarily be viewed from one side only. However, the web may be placed in any position, and in case it is .desiredto produce a grille with a reversible pattern, that is, one which presents the same appearance from either side, the web may be formed in the center of the blade. In this case the blade projects from the plate in either direction. The blades may project upward a substantial distance fromthe web, or may pro- Various ject scarcely any distance at all. It is, of course, possible to perforate the longitudinal members as well as the web portion. It will be clear that by proper design the transverse members I I formed by aperturing the web need not necessarily be at right angles to the blades but may be at any angle in accordance with the desired design. Furthermore, it is practical to produce grille with blades arranged in a fan shape and not parallel. This may be accomplished by forming the grille after the blanking operation by crimping or otherwise shortening the effective length of the transverse connecting members by degrees, starting with the full desired shortening across the section at some desired point and shortening any intervening transverse members in progressive lesser amounts until the required form is attained. This graduated shortening of the connecting members draws the grille blades out of parallelrelationship. The resulting shape producedv by the progressive change in efiective length of the transverse connecting members may bedescribed as fan shape, although it may be formed in other shapes also by means of varying the length of the transverse connecting members.

By the method of my invention, comprising chiefly a combination of steps of extruding and blanking, it is possible to produce metal grille of improved design and improved appearance. It

has been found that the extruded grille possesses the appearance of great depth and hiding power, valuable qualities in grille, and if obtainable in sheet metal grille are obtained only at great expense in the forming operation and in forming equipment. Moreover, by virtue of my method a more efiective use of metal is possible in that only the necessary parts need be reinforced, and in this manner a grille possessing greater utility per unit weight is produced.

I claim:

1. A method of producing a fan-shaped metal grille, comprising the steps of extruding a longitudinal form consisting of projecting parallel blades connected by integral web portions and blanking out in said web spaced transverse connecting members and thereafter shaping to shorten some of said transverse members in progressive degree to produce a fan-shaped grille section.

2. A method of producing metal grille having a. base portion and integral blades of varying wall thickness, said method comprising extruding metal from a die in the form of bifurcated parallel blades of varying wall thickness connected by a web, and simultaneously forming securing means on at least one edge of the metal.

3. A method of producing metal grille having a base portion and integral blades of varying wall thickness, said method comprising extruding metal from a die in the form of bifurcated parallel blades of varying wall thickness connected by a web, simultaneously forming securing means on at least one edge of the metal, and thereafter blanking out portions of the web.

WILLIAM B. PIERCE. 

